


Equius: Experience terrible certainty.

by Seamus_McSeamus



Series: Equius [4]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen, Sadstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-28
Updated: 2012-08-28
Packaged: 2017-11-13 01:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/498015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seamus_McSeamus/pseuds/Seamus_McSeamus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The strongest troll knew; he just didn't want to believe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Equius: Experience terrible certainty.

**Author's Note:**

> There are a few little things (namely the timeline bars and the timestamp) that I changed for dramatic effect. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

He has his arms folded over his chest, his broken teeth bared, as Vantas explains his plan. It is convoluted, petty, illogical, and unnecessary, par the course for Vantas' plans. He gives a sidelong glance to the seadwellers, a little too close for comfort, and shifts so that he's standing between them and Nepeta, who has all eyes on the ranting mutantblood. As always.

Equius Zahhak snorts when Karkat gives his ultimatum: troll the humans in reverse? Karkat was only going to confuse himself, and he did quite a lot of that already.

The principal difference this time was that he would be confusing himself not solely through his own efforts, but with the aid of technology. Trollian truly was an interesting program: through some feat of coding, its users could communicate across timelines as easily as across physical distances.

So, naturally, Karkat insisted on using it in the most backwards way possible.

Then again, Karkat Vantas knew his days were numbered. Equius did too; they were all going to die, sooner or later. It was practically all that the former talked about; the latter tried not to waste his time with it. There would come a time when he would no longer breathe or move or sweat. That was all.

But despite his strongest efforts, that knowledge lingered.

He worked hard in his adopted workshop, putting robots together and taking them apart, pausing to listen to Nepeta hum tunes half-familiar to him as she scratched at the metal wall with borrowed chalk.

But even in the midst of his most surefire distractions, he couldn't help but notice that his navy blue timeline in Trollian looked just a little shorter than the others'.

So, as foolish as it was, he participated in Karkat's plan. He helped troll the humans, though not frequently enough that the occasions he chose to do it were of any real concern.

After talking to Dave, he gave it up. There just wasn't any point. The humans were strong, determined, and maybe even capable of succeeding. 

It had nothing to do with that line of navy blue in the corner of his glasses, which was definitely a little shorter than the other eleven.

He continued on, doing what he did on Alternia. He soldered circuits, he fought his creations, he talked to Nepeta. Yet his hands weren't as steady as they could have been, his fists not as sure as they used to be, his words less carefully chosen than before.

If anyone asked--and no one did--it wasn't happening. Nothing was different.

Yet he had seen the timeline, and the timestamp: 16:48:22.

It was with a disappointed groan that he clambered off the pile of robot parts to answer Karkat. What did he want this time? Some status update on the humans? Perhaps a hateful ode to the one named John, whom he couldn't seem to stop talking about.

Karkat gave him the news at 16:30:05.

He gave him the command at 16:32:58.

Equius felt his heart skip a beat. Just one.

Exiting the chat client and rolling his shoulders to get rid of an ache, he approached Nepeta. He gave her instructions; clear, concise, and stern. She was to hide, until this business was done with.

His voice went softer. His eyes stung, but he didn't show her.

He took the opportunity to say goodbye at 16:35:06.

The door closed and locked behind him at 16:37:12.

With stillness he could not have expected from himself at that moment he opened the chat client once more.

16:39:24.

A wave of terrible certainty hit him as he began to walk.

16:39:30.

16:39:31.

16:39:32.


End file.
